Presently there are a number of techniques for making a brush seal using a plurality of tufts of bristles. In one technique the bristles are gathered at one end into a tuft; the tufted end of a plurality of such tufts are embedded in series in an epoxy retainer or rail. The rail is bent into an annular shape with the unattached ends of the tufts extending radially outwardly and across a back plate. A front plate is attached with unattached ends of the tufts sandwiched between the plates. The unattached ends of the bristles are trimmed and attached as by welding at the O.D. of the back plate and become the fixed ends of the bristles in the seal while the tufted ends of the bristles are trimmed off beyond the I.D. and become the free sealing ends of the bristles which ride on a shaft for example. The tufts of bristles are oriented with the tufted ends radially inwardly and the bristles spread with increasing radius. This makes the bristles non-parallel and makes their pack density (number of bristles per in.sup.2) non-uniform; this introduces a number of problems. Since the bristles are not uniformly distributed there is inconsistent wear and inconsistent leakage with resulting reduced life and performance. The non-uniform density produces weak spots where the fluid being sealed may tunnel through and cause leakage. Bristle blow down can occur where air or other fluid turns downward at the seal toward the shaft and displaces the bristles causing gaps and leakage and increased uneven wear. In another technique the tufts of bristles are positioned in slanted radial grooves on an annular jig with the tufted ends being radially outward and the unattached ends being radially inward. A retainer such as a back plate fits within the center hole of the annular jig so that the tufts extend slanted radially across it. The tufts are fixed to the back plate typically with a front plate and welding and the tufted ends are trimmed off at the O.D. of the back plate. The unattached ends of the tufts are trimmed off radially inwardly of the I.D. of the back plate. In this latter technique in contrast to the former, the tufted ends become the fixed end of the bristles while the unattached ends become the free sealing ends of the bristles. But the same non-uniform pack density results with the same problems in performance, wear, life and leakage including tunnelling and bristle blow down. In both approaches, since tufts have a predetermined size, unique tufts must be manufactured for different I.D. seals. This is so because as more and more of the bristles toward the O.D. are trimmed off to enlarge the I.D. of the seal, the pack density decreases until a practical seal is no longer possible.